Supercritical Antisolvent Process for Pharmaceutical Applications: A Review

Abstract

The supercritical antisolvent (SAS) technique has been widely employed in the biomedical field, including drug delivery, to obtain drug particles or polymer-based systems of nanometric or micrometric size. The primary purpose of producing SAS particles is to improve the treatment of different pathologies and to better the patient’s compliance. In this context, many active compounds have been micronized to enhance their dissolution rate and bioavailability. Aiming for more effective treatments with reduced side effects caused by drug overdose, the SAS polymer/active principle coprecipitation has mainly been proposed to offer an adequate drug release for specific therapy. The demand for new formulations with reduced side effects on the patient’s health is still growing; in this context, the SAS technique is a promising tool to solve existing issues in the biomedical field. This updated review on the use of the SAS process for clinical applications provides useful information about the achievements, the most effective polymeric carriers, and parameters, as well as future perspectives.

Nanoparticles and Nanocrystals by Supercritical CO2-Assisted Techniques for Pharmaceutical Applications: A Review

“…The solute to be nanonized has to be soluble in the selected liquid solvent but insoluble in the solvent-antisolvent binary mixture formed in the precipitation chamber. Therefore, when the liquid solution (solvent + solute) is injected through the nozzle into the precipitator filled with scCO2, the solute precipitates due to the supersaturation caused by the fast diffusion of scCO2 into the droplets formed after the jet breakup [90]. Nanoparticles are usually produced via the SAS process by working with low temperatures (in the range 35-50 °C ) and pressures equal to or mostly higher than 9 MPa in the precipitation chamber.…”

Applications of Supercritical Anti-Solvent Process in Preparation of Solid Multicomponent Systems

“…Solid dispersions can be produced by various processes, such as co-grinding, spray drying, anti-solvent precipitation, and melt extrusion [ 7 , 8 ]. The SAS process has been widely exploited for several decades to develop solid dispersions for various medical applications, and hundreds of related papers have been published [ 20 , 60 ].…”

Biopesticide Encapsulation Using Supercritical CO2: A Comprehensive Review and Potential Applications

“…The use of scCO 2 eliminates the solvent residues. Finally, after the washing step, there is a depressurization in the precipitator to atmospheric pressure to collect the resulting powder [ 82 , 109 , 110 ].…”

“…Compared to other techniques such as RESS and spray-drying, the particles formed by SAS present a narrower particle size distribution and higher specific surface area [ 110 ]. Among the limitations of SAS, some stand out, such as the difficulty in working with molecules soluble in CO 2 or the solvent/antisolvent mixture, and with hydrophilic compounds, since there is a notable difference between water and CO 2 solubility in SAS conditions [ 82 ].…”